YouTube user skyanimal has footage of a workshop run by California EPA on environmental justice in Imperial County.

Higher prices for gas

that’s causing the pain in our a**.

Higher cuts toward our in-home health care

that’s causing old people to fear.

HEY ARNOLD !

Transit racism still proceeding

as the minorities keep bleeding.

They keep failing

and the President keeps bailing.

HEY ARNOLD !

I wish some companies would see the pollution in the sky

cause we as people do not want to die.

When will they finally see

that they are polluting our sea.

HEY ARNOLD !

A Sign of Truth

Today was my very first time attending a rally. When I pulled up there were many people holding different signs and chanting.  There were even some people playing drums. Today’s rally was a Budget Protest Rally. The rally was against cutting: Cal Grants for college students, Medi-Cal programs, funding for prisoners, in-home nursing programs, and foster-care funding.  These cuts affect many of us no matter the age or gender.  The reason I decided to attend the rally was because I knew that what they were fighting for was  going to affect me in some way, and boy was I right, because with the cost of education going up, pretty soon I won’t be able to afford college. Personally I think Arnold has no right to decide on the working families, because he has no idea about the problems we face on a daily basis.  Some of us can barely afford to feed and shelter our families, yet he wants to cut many programs.

The Governor’s personal choices also have an effect on our environment. He flies home almost everyday in his private jet. His private jet lands in the Santa Monica Airport which is next to a park, where children play, and it is also next to a school. That alone shows us how much he cares.

I really enjoyed the rally, it is something I  would love to do again.

While legislators initially rejected the Governor's call to cut Cal Grants, a funeral may now be in order

Members of greenRELAY attended a rally organized by the Community Coalition of South LA this afternoon to protest the state’s cuts to vital social services.  Joining members of the Community Coalition, CBE’s Youth EJ, the Bus Riders Union, and other organizations, we met at the Santa Monica Airport, where Governor Schwarzenegger’s private jet lands as part of his regular commute.

Governor Schwarzenegger has been all too comfortable with life-or-death decisions about the state’s budget.  As reported in the New York Times:

Schwarzenegger reclined deeply in his chair, lighted an eight-inch cigar and declared himself “perfectly fine,” despite the fiscal debacle and personal heartsickness all around him. “Someone else might walk out of here every day depressed, but I don’t walk out of here depressed,” Schwarzenegger said. Whatever happens, “I will sit down in my Jacuzzi tonight,” he said. “I’m going to lay back with a stogie.”

Addressing the state’s environmental justice concerns requires effective leadership.  The Governor should not be “perfectly fine” with cutting healthcare and education for the most environmentally burdened communities.

We’ll have a video of the rally up tomorrow.  In the meantime, here are some pictures:

[Show as slideshow]